William r



w. R. PITT.

FOLDING GATE.

(No Model.)

Patented Jan. 13,1891.

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ivrrnn rains IVILLIAM R. PITT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FOLDING GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,765 dated January 13, 1891.

Application filed October 16. 1890. Serial No. 368,274. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WlLLIAM R. PITT, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Folding Gates, of which the following is a specification.

Mylnvention relates to an improvement in folding gates in which a series of diagonal bars are arranged to cross one another and pivotally secured together at the points where they cross. In folding gates of this character the line of points at the extremities of the meeting bars along the bottom of the gate tends to rise as the gate is unfolded, thereby leavin g a considerable space unguarded between the floor or sill and the bottom of the gate. In a similar manner, also, the line of points along the top of the gate, where the extremities of the bars are united, tends to lower.

The object of my present invention is to provide for the permanent closure of the space at the bottom of the gate, no matter Whether the gate be partially or entirely extended or unfolded, and also to provide for an even finish and protection along the top of the gate, whether the gate be partially or entirely extended or unfolded, and, further, to provide a neat and effective housing for the line of movable pivots at the opposite edges of the gate.

IVith these ends in view my invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

A practicalembodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view of the gate in side elevation in its extended or non-folded adj nstment. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the gate. Fig. 3 is a view in detail of one of the depending guard-bars, and Fig. at is a transverse section through line 00 a: of Fig. 1.

A and A represent the permanent posts or abutments, between which the gate is hung. In the present form of my invention I have represented the gate as hinged to suitable bearings a and a, the former fixed in the abut-. ment A and the latter supported either upon the sill or on the abutment and adapted to sustain the weight of the gate. The side frames of the gate, both at its hinged and at its freely-swinging edges, are formed of two channel iron sections B, arranged with their hollow faces toward each other and securely bolted together at the top and at the bottom, as, for example, at b. Thesections E do not rest with their adjacent faces in contact with each other, but are separated far enough apart to receive between them the thickness of each series of diagonal bars, and a washer O, intended to be equal to or somewhat greater in thickness than the thickness of the. guardbars and pickets. The diagonal bars of one of the series are represented by D, and of the other series by D. The fixed pivot, with respect to which the several pivots at the dif ferent crossings of the bars move, is represented by E, and is located near the bottom of the edge frame at the hinge edge of the gate. A corresponding pivot E is fixed with respectto the swinging edge frame of the gate, and the line of pivots c between the pivots E and E will, as the gate is folded and unfolded, travel in a horizontal line. The pivots above and below those which I have designated as E E, both at the hinge and free edge of the gate,will move away from and toward the pivots E and E as the gate is folded and unfolded. To provide for such movements of the pivots I utilize the channels in the opposite faces of the frame-bars B to receive the ends of the pivot-pins F, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

The depending guard-bars G are loosely suspended from the horizontal line of pivots e, and are provided with elongated slots g, which receive the pivots c at the lowermeeb ing ends of the diagonal bars. As the line of pivots c retains its horizon tal position whether the gate be partially or entirely unfolded, and as the slots 9 admit of the rise and fall of the pivots c as the gate is unfolded or folded,it follows that the lower ends of the bars Gwill retain their positions relative to the floor or sill, whether the gate be partially or entirely unfolded, and will thus form an effective guard to any opening which may be formed by the lifting of the lower line of pivots.

IVhile it is not as essential in general that the top of the gate should be guarded against any slight increase in the opening produced by the lowering of the upper line of pivots,

there are instances in which it becomes i mportant to reduce such openings as far as may be feasible, and to this end and for the purpose at the same time of furnishing the gate with a neat finish and ornamental top, I provide a line of pickets H, pivotally secured at their lower ends to a line of pivots e preferably the third row from the top, although they might be extended to the fifth or even a lower row than the fifth, if so desired. The pickets H are provided with an elongated slot 72, which receives the upper line of pivots 6 and because of the play which said pivots have within said slot, the pickets rise and fall only the distance which the pivots 6 rise and falLwhich lessens as the pivots approach the horizontal line 6. The depending guard-bars G and the pickets H are preferably located between the two diagonal sets of gate-bars, and washers I, of any suitable material, may be'interposed between the sides of said bars and pickets and the diagonal bars in order to afford the necessary play and keep the parts in snug adj nstment.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A gate the body portion of which consists of bars pivoted together so as to fold and unfold, and side frames to which the folding bars are pivotally secured at the .ends of a horizontal line of pivots, depending guard-bars pivotally secured to the gate along the horizontal line of gate-bar pivot's and provided with elongated slots embracing the gate-bar pivots located below the line on which they are pivoted, and a series of pickets pivotally secured at one end to a horizontal line of pivots, and having a verticallymovable connection intermediate of their ends with the gate-bars, substantially as set forth.

2. A gate the body portion of which consists of bars pivoted together so as to fold and unfold, and a series of pickets pivotally secured at one end to a vertically-movable line of pivots which connect the folding bars and having a vertically-movable connection intermediate of their ends with the gate-bars, whereby the rise and fall of the pickets will be less than the rise and fall of the top of the gate, substantially as set forth.

a WILLIAM R. PITT.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, D. II. HAYWOOD. 

